The NFL is loaded with strong-armed passers and highly skilled receivers, but deep into November, it’s important for offenses around the league to start showing balance. Rediscovering the running game was a big help to several playoff contenders in Week 11, including two teams needing a key rebound victory at home:

Lions find a feature back. With Jahvid Best still on the shelf, neither Maurice Morris nor Keiland Williams has been reliable in the running game. That’s hurt Matthew Stafford the past few weeks, who’s been frustrating while forcing the ball to Calvin Johnson in the passing game. Sunday was a different story as the struggles of Morris and Williams opened the door for former starter Kevin Smith (201 yards from scrimmage, three TDs) to take advantage of the porous Panthers run defense. In turn, Stafford played off that to complete passes to nine receivers. Five of them scored, and for a change, none of them was named Johnson. It’s an important development, giving the Lions the necessary pop to have a chance against the Packers back at home on Thanksgiving. The diverse play-calling also gives opponents more of a challenge to defend Detroit down the stretch.

Ravens remember to feed Ray Rice again. After giving Rice only 13 touches in Week 10’s upset loss at Seattle, Baltimore’s coaches wisely went back to making Rice the lifeblood of the offense. His 25 touches added up to 147 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns to help hold off the Bengals at home, 31-24. When Rice is rolling, quarterback Joe Flacco gets a lot more comfortable as taking shots downfield becomes easier. Flacco was able to fire long touchdown strikes to both Anquan Boldin (35 yards) and rookie Torrey Smith (38 yards). Rice may face tough sledding against defenses such as San Francisco’s on Thanksgiving, but even if the gains look limited early, his speed and quickness always gives him a chance to break one with any given touch – like the 59-yard burst against Cincinnati.

Cowboys stay committed to the running game, even when it’s not working. The Redskins were able to cool off rookie DeMarco Murray, limiting to him just 73 yards. But credit Dallas for still giving Murray 25 carries, as they added up to another super-efficient day from Tony Romo (23-for-37, 292 yards, three TDs, no interceptions) in a 27-24 overtime win. Romo, much like Stafford, used all of his weapons well, as Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and Jason Witten also scored. The reason Romo is playing so well is there’s much less pressure to carry the offense. Romo’s typical sizzling November should continue at home against a hot Miami team, and it’s looking good for him to carry that into December.

Raiders don’t miss a beat without Darren McFadden. At this rate, Oakland’s coaches can afford not to rush McFadden back from his latest injury. Michael Bush, who had 30 more carries for 109 yards in 27-21 escape from Minnesota, has been more than an adequate replacement. Marcel Reece (six carries, 45 yards) has also done well in taking over Bush’s old complementary power role. It’s true Carson Palmer has played very well the past two weeks as the Raiders’ starting quarterback, but it’s key he needed to attempt fewer than 25 passes. Palmer struggles when he has to drop back often, but he’s a different passer when he gets consistent running support. Opponents need to do a better job of focusing on stopping Oakland’s rushing first, because if you contain Bush, Palmer wouldn’t be nearly as effective.

Falcons keep turning to Michael Turner. While his Titans counterpart Chris Johnson (12 carries for only 13 yards) went back to struggling, Turner (21 carries, 100 yards, TD) kept on churning out big gains in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta’s critical 23-17 win over Tennessee. The Falcons are at their best offensively when they keep things simple, especially with the latest hamstring injury to speedy rookie wide receiver Julio Jones. When they weren’t pounding away with Turner, Matt Ryan made sure to keep his two Pro Bowl targets, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez involved all over the field. It didn’t seem like Ryan was lighting it up, but then the box score showed a 316-yard game. The Falcons can’t force more passing pop; they need to keep doing it in a smart, balanced way.

Bears proved they can be OK if you shut down Matt Forte. The Chargers hung around into the fourth quarter of an eventual 31-20 defeat in Chicago by holding Forte to just 50 yards rushing on 21 carries. Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who is having a great play-calling season was unfazed, however. Because Forte has been such a dangerous, consistent dual threat all year, it’s hard to account for all the other weapons around Jay Cutler. Now they have a most trustworthy top wide receiver in Earl Bennett, it’s giving complementary options such as Johnny Knox, Roy Williams and Cutler’s tight ends a chance to make key plays. Martz and Cutler have never been this in sync with their game plan and execution.

Packers run it when they need to run it. If you had a quarterback on fire the way Aaron Rogers has been since last year’s playoffs, you would to want to throw as much as they do, too. It’s a big mistake, however, to call Green Bay a pass-happy team. Consider in all, they had as many rushing attempts (23) and Rodgers’ completions (23) in Sunday’s tough 35-26 win over Tampa Bay. James Starks had only 38 yards on 11 carries, but supplemented that well with 53 more in the high-percentage short passing game. They also are strong in tight quarters near the goal line, as they had TD runs of 1 and 2 yards to balance two Rodgers TD passes of five yards. Starks always will have favorable running lanes, and he’s capable of getting hot as it gets colder like he did as a rookie during the Packers’ Super Bowl run.

7-on-7: Sunday surprise stars

Matt Moore, QB, Dolphins. Moore is doing his best to earn a chance to be Miami’s starting quarterback in 2012. He made quick work of the Bills to earn his team its third consecutive victory, with three first-half TDs, needing to go just 14-for-20 with 160 yards passing in a 35-8 rout. Now he gets a chance to spoil his original NFL team’s Thanksgiving when he takes the field against the Cowboys in Week 12.

Torrey Smith, WR, Ravens. The rookie first blasted on to the scene with a three-touchdown explosion against the Rams earlier in the season, but not even the healthy return of veteran Lee Evans could slow him down against Cincinnati. Smith torched a Leon Hall-less Bengals secondary for six catches, 165 yards and a TD.

Kevin Smith, RB, Lions. Now at the end of a long road back from injury, Smith, like Jay and Silent Bob, “struck back” to prominence in Detroit’s backfield. Smith's size (6-1, 217) and speed were on full display as the Panthers had no answer for him (18 carries, 140 yards, two TDs; four catches, 61 yards, TD) in a running performance the Lions desperately needed.

Chris Ogbonnaya, RB, Browns. Cleveland has found a pleasant solution to the fact its two top backs, Montario Hardesty and Peyton Hillis, can’t stay healthy. Ogbonnaya had shown signs he could be a productive workhorse through his first two starts, and ran hard against a tough, physical Jacksonville defense with 115 yards on 21 carries in a 14-10 home win. With fellow former Texas Longhorn Colt McCoy having trouble stretching the field, Ogbonnaya carried the offense.

Desmond Bryant, DE, Raiders. Harvard beat Yale on Saturday, and Bryant beats out slumping Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick as the NFL’s Crimson king, at least for one week. Bryant had the best game of his career with two sacks and a forced fumble in the 27-21 at Minnesota.

Jerome Simpson, WR, Bengals. Simpson loves playing against the Ravens, and the knee injury that sidelined rookie sensation A.J. Green put him in the role of Cincinnati’s No. 1 receiver. He didn’t disappoint for Andy Dalton in defeat, racking up eight catches for 152 yards in Baltimore.

B.J. Raji, DT, Packers. He did his best Refrigerator Perry impersonation with a 1-yard touchdown run against the Buccaneers. Really, it’s unfair how many offensive weapons this teams has, to also throw a 337-pounder in the heart of a defense.

Injury update

Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings (left ankle). Unfortunately, Minnesota went most of the day against the Raiders without “All Day”, who left the game and didn’t return on the penultimate play of the first quarter. Although Peterson may be good enough to play next week, with the Vikings not in the playoff picture, the team needs to err on the side of caution with its most talented player.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Titans (sprained right elbow). Hasselbeck left in the second half, and the team immediately got a passing spark from first-round pick Jake Locker. Locker led the offense on two scoring drives culminating with touchdown passes in a comeback that just fell short in a 23-17 loss at Atlanta. It’s unsure with Tennessee still in the AFC South hunt, how quickly the 35-year-old Hasselbeck can return. Locker’s mobility and smart decision-making were evident in the Georgia Dome and he moved the ball well despite getting little help from Chris Johnson in the running game. If Hass needs to miss time, the Titans actually may be in better hands at quarterback with Locker than the Texans are with Matt Leinart filling in for Matt Schaub.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Raiders (neck). Heyward-Bey had a scarier incident in the fourth quarter on the same Metrodome turf that got Peterson. It’s good to see Heyward-Bey is OK, but with Jacoby Ford also on the shelf, his potential absence would keep thinning out Carson Palmer’s receiving corps.

Fred Jackson, RB, Bills (right calf). Buffalo, already decimated on the offensive line, also saw cornerback Terrence McGee and wide receiver Donald Jones go down against Miami. The good news is Jackson, their most indispensable offensive player, isn’t expected to miss time for a unit that’s struggling.